In the Left Lane
I can't really comprehend of what I am about to tell you, it just happened like a flash, just a big, white... well lets not get ahead of ourselves, I must tell you the the limitless boundaries beyond of how you go about... in the left lane. I set my day off to work as usual: The warm and revigorating cup of coffee to start the day, eating the last slice of toast and eggs, the works. This may sound like a normal 50's family run-of-the-mill day while the kids are lost in the sugar rush of their cereal and my wife cleaning up the rest as I tie my shoes with a mournful sigh and single rub of my head through my hair thinking of what I could of done better for my life and my family. Working as a supervisor at the local store does not really have its benefits but I should say it is the most "laid back" job if I may say. Just walking around and acting like a prick as usual to please the higher authority was never my strong point, but a promising future as my boss was getting ready to leave for the new store on the southern side of town. Ready to start the day filled with the employees' glares and the usual case of gossiping behind your back, I hung my head while giving my wife a quick kiss and the bored-to-death goodbye to my kids as I rubbed their heads and told them to watch out for each other as of their age, they are known to get suspicious. I got in my car and drove out of the driveway to the next intersection that leads to the main road. I need to tell you now that I live in a suburban and very secluded area in the small town of Flemingsburg, Kentucky, which is 135 miles west of Louisville. Nothing ever went wrong here, unless you count the fact that we get thousands of bikers and homeland agents riding through the streets to see a quilt museum. It's just a place where people come to retire and die, nothing too special. While I was driving onto the road leading out of the small farmland and into the small town, I noticed something was a little off. In this time of the morning I would usually come across a couple of vehicles by now, the usual white Elantra Hyundai or an old dirty metallic green pick up catches my eye most of the time as they drive off with sold goods or musty old furniture back. But today, I found no one, the cars were parked at the McDonald's and the local General Dollar, but no activity in sight. The place had a Silent Hill feel to it to add the tension while I played my radio to the classic rock station, listening to some good old Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin takes me back and calms me while I drive off to my own little personal plain of Hell. As I got to the place where I cross a heavily wooded area that only lasts a couple of minutes, I felt a little... sad and timid as my hands began to tremble lightly gripping the wheel tight. I can't really explain it, it just felt like I should not have driven today. There was a certain spot where I always passed that has two trees always bent over with two very heavy branches hanging over the top as cars pass by so people who drive in there really can't see until you pass. Being the impatient and late idiot that I am just blindly looking on my phone reading the time, I take the pass because it was a 10 minute time difference than what I would drive taking the right lane and intersection going off into the college area where the usual teens would cut you off without signaling or any sign of respect for any driver. As soon as I had passed the branches where I could not see the other side... it happened. The bright flash... just happened for what seemed like a split second and then darkness. Startled, I slammed the brakes and giving it a heavy jar with my head bouncing off and on the back of the seat, heart pounding rapidly. I took a few good, long breaths to catch myself and look back onto the dashboard with nothing but the bright radio light to accompany me giving me a little sense of relief. I switched my headlights on only to find a long road up ahead, I could tell by the yellow markings on the ground, nothing around my surroundings but concrete walls making a curve from above indicating that I was in some sort of tunnel. At first I could hear nothing while rolling my windows down, just a soft echo of my breath going further down the walls with the occasional drip of water coming a few feet to the left side of the car. As soon as I start to roll my windows back up I heard what sounded like an underground freight liner coming from the opposite end of the tunnel just making a 5 second clash with the accompanying sound of a rural area of traffic giving off their little weak horns, almost like it sounded as if it was in a car crash or running out of power from the battery. I decided to follow the yellow line, not caring what sound anything else made, and made a run for the exit. I rolled up my windows and tried to find my music station again but I kept getting nothing but static and a few bits of skipping between each lyric of incomprehensible muttering from whatever artist was making that. After what seemed like 30 minutes of nothing but driving in total darkness I finally got a glimpse of light, but this light was strange, it gave off a dark reddish and orange glow as to what one would see as a sunset or sunrise. It was beautiful to say the least but a little foreboding at the same time because it was just about 10 in the morning where the sun would usually be glowing its neon rays. *Sharp Static sound*, The radio went off on all channels switching rapidly between each until it cut to the song... "Life in the Fast Lane" by Aerosmith. The sound was so piercing and loud I felt my ears were going to bleed as nothing I did turned off or lowered the volume on the fucking thing as I kept getting closer to the light. The music and lights turned off as another bright flash came across my face and shielding my eyes again. Silence... just silence is now all I heard. After a few seconds, I lifted my head from my arm only to be greeted by the outside, but now it was as if I was gone for the whole day, I saw street lamps on both sides of the road while the sky gave off a very dark purple and black color. I could see the town in the back giving me a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Just as I was about to drive again, my car suddenly dies on me. The ignition does not work and sure as hell pumping the gas will not do any good during this time of season in the cold as my car always freezes over my pipe causing it too stall for an hour. I had no choice but to get out and walk to the nearest place to call my wife as sure she was worried and would know what the hell is going on. I walked for about 20 minutes, basking in the glow of the dimly lit street lamps when I came across something that I now consider haunting. It was a car crash to the opposite side where I was walking, windows all shattered, front bent up, the whole car just looked like it was rammed into oblivion with a few stains of dried oil and blood coming from the sharper edges of the glass in the front. I wanted to run over to the vehicle to see if anyone survived the epidemic, but something told me not to and just call for help on the way. I quickly walked by. Now having a sense of fear, I began to run lightly. When I was about a good pace away from the car, I heard... someone moaning. Not like a usual cry of agony but, a blood curdling cry of pain as if a woman or child had their legs bent backwards and their throat slit. It sounded horrifying as I looked back to the wreck that was almost out of my line of sight when I see a figure slowly coming out of the vehicle, arms broken and bent the other way so all it was doing was using its knees and feet to do the work. It had long, black, ruffled hair covering its face from what I could tell, wearing tattered and ripped clothes with I guess what was a skirt to go with it. I froze in horror looking at how it was even possible to perform such a task as crawling, let alone its malnourished body, could even perform basic functions. Slowly... creeping out making a raspy clicking noise, very familiar to what you would see in the usual Japanese horror films. It bent its legs to normal walking position but arched its back all the way behind its legs positioning itself to look at me. It glared at me from what I could see even if I was a good ways away from it. It then gave off a loud, ear-piercing scream as it began to run in a crab-like position, making a fast clicking noise with every step it made on all its fours. Moving very fast and limp, it made its way down with no effort at all. I panicked and ran as fast as my legs could carry me towards the town, not caring what house I would run into, just a place where I could hide and call for help. I could hear it getting closer making the clicking noise louder and louder while I heard it moan with a sad but longingly sound as if it was wanting me to stop. Luckily, I saw a house perched up on a small hillside just right outside of the smaller limits of the town. I broke through the door while immediately closing it behind me. I pinned myself up to the breach of it trying to hold it just in case it wanted to smash in, I put a couple of heavy chairs against it and waited in a corner for it. After a few minutes, I did not hear anything coming from the door while my mind raced about how the owners of this place would react if they did not already hear me and they were just hiding from me so I would have to explain myself later in the process. A few minutes went by and still nothing. I let my fear aside for now and tried to find the owner of the place to call for help. I shouted through the whole house to try and get a response, checking all the corridors and rooms for any signs of life. Nothing... just the shear sound of me and the creaking of the wooden floors below me. Without thinking, I got to the nearest phone I could find and dialed my wife's number, held it up and I heard the sound of crying on the other side. It was my wife, but she was doing nothing but crying and the sounds of what seemed like pleading or sorrow. All I heard her say was "If only you had...", it cut off before going back to static again. Pissed off I slammed the phone on the floor, breaking it to bits while I sat in a corner, sobbing and trying to recollect myself to find out what happened. Once again, I felt a warm glow and light came shining through the dark of my eyes closed tight. I opened them and... the flash, that's all I remember... the flash. In that split second, I was just right outside of my car where I was going on the interstate. I was safe, cars all around going into the nightlife of the city, I could hear people from the shops and offices getting off for work, finally I felt relaxed as I made my way to the car. I put my hand towards the handle, but it just went through it, like a hologram or a cold air brushed through my hand when I felt it. I tried again and again, but still nothing. With my eyes widened in terror, I stumbled back onto my knees and thought to myself, "No no no... someone please tell me what the in the absolute fuck is going on!" That's when I looked over and about 25 feet away from me were a couple of police cars and people all huddled around something I could not make out. Trembling, I quickly ran towards it to see if I could try to get someone's attention and plead for help. I got to the site and what I saw is now what I realize what happened. It was me, in my car looking the same way it did back with the wreck I saw. Everything looked badly torn and banged up from the head on collision of a dump truck making the rounds. I saw myself... dead. Nothing but myself of tangled limbs and my body strewn all over the street and grassy areas. I wanted to cry... it all made perfect sense now. I blame myself for all of this, my head becoming blurred and my mind racing. None of that matters now... I am just a figment, a flawed thought of what reality created me to be, its getting cold now, very cold as I see my breath form, then I hear it again. "Tick, tick, tick..." Then the last song I heard... coming from my car... *STATIC* Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". Category:Beings Category:Music